A Long, Fun Labor Day Weekend

We have had a great long weekend together! Lots of family time and fun things to do as we kick off a very (very) busy September.

On Saturday Oliver had the chance to show Dad around the Eastman Nature Center. When Oliver and I have gone there we have spent far more time in the nature center than I ever plan on. It's not that big of a place, so it isn't too overwhelming for him. He loves to bounce between the snakes and animals, the bee hive and the fun play things. He was proud to show Dad around and it was a pleasure watching them both!

Showing Dad his butterfly moves

He wore the bee outfit for about 20 minutes...loved it!

The weekend was rather warm and humid...heat index into the upper 90's. Tony has been wanting to take Oliver backyard camping for a while now, and he decided that he wouldn't let a little heat and the threat of rain keep him from it this weekend. Oliver was a big helper, setting up the tent and assembling the fire pit. They were two peas in a pod!

Teamwork!

All done (well, the rain fly was added later)

We lit a fire, even though it was already So.Hot.Out. Dinner was roasted hot dogs and chips, with a traditional campfire dessert: S'mores. Yum! 

Note the still green grass underneath...now it's just a burnt patch!

I think his face says it all!

The rain, thunder and lightening came at 4:00 am. The storm was pretty strong, unrelenting. I was wide awake, pacing between the window (watching for their flashlight) and the phone (checking for any tornado warnings). It is very possible that I was more worried about it than they were, as they stuck it out and didn't come inside until almost 8:00! I am so glad they had fun.

On Sunday we made the trek to one of Tony and Oliver's favorite places to eat: World Street Kitchen. Oliver and I also got our flu shots and did a little shopping while Dad picked up our neighbors from the airport. We ended Sunday by watching a movie of Oliver's choice: Rudolph. Crazy! He's currently obsessed with Halloween and asking for Christmas movies. I don't know what we are going to do come January!

Today we were so happy to host our small group for a BBQ. Tony smoked about 16 pounds of pork so we had yummy pulled pork sandwiches (along with a lot of pulled pork in the freezer for the fall/winter). It was fun catching up with everyone and planning our study for the fall. The fall!! It's hard to believe.

On Wednesday Oliver will start Pre-K 4, the little kid's choir at church and his second year of AWANA. A big day! I can't wait.